Zadan and Meron to produce screen musical Hairspray

Following the screen-to-stage-to-screen route of The Producers, Hairspray, the Broadway musical, will now be turned into a film under the aegis of out executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Chicago, Me and My Shadows: Life With Judy Garland). New Line Cinema announced Monday that Zadan and Meron's Storyline Entertainment will produce, with many key players behind the stage version involved as well: Jack O'Brien will codirect with Jerry Mitchell (who will also serve as choreographer); Marc Shaiman will serve as music supervisor, score composer, and song producer, while also executive-producing with his life partner and colyricist, Scott Wittman; and book writers Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan will write the screenplay. "It's been nearly 20 years since we first introduced Hairspray to the world, and at that time we never could have imagined it evolving into the franchise it has become today," said New Line cochairmen and co-CEOs Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne in a statement. "To take a film like this and adapt it into a hit Broadway production and then bring that musical version back into movie theaters is a first, and we are excited to have Craig and Neil on board to make it happen."